National Geographic Revealed the Winners and People’s Choice of the 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

After sifting through nearing 13,000 submissions, National Geographic has announced the winners, honorable mentions, and people’s selection of their 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year Contest. This year’s grand prize was awarded to photographer Reiko Takahashi for her close-up picture of a humpback whale calf she recorded while snorkeling near Japan‘s Kumejima Island. Other chosen photographs include an aerial photo of thousands of flamingos taking off from a lake in Tanzania, a stunning shot of Northern Italy’s alien-like sand towers, along with a dazzling immersive art installation that frames a running woman in a bright red dress. It is possible to read the stories behind these pictures and see more selections from the categories of Nature, People, and Cities, on National Geographic.

Nature: Grand Prize Winner, “Mermaid” by Reiko Takahashi.Cities: Honorable Mention, “Alone in the Crowds” by Gary Cummins.Cities: People’s Choice, “Traveling to Heaven” by Trikansh Sharma.Nature: Third Place Winner, “Mars” by Marco Grassi.Cities: Third Place Winner, “Reflection” by Gaanesh Prasad.People: Second Place Winner, “Leida and Laella—I Will Lift You Up” by Tati Itat.Nature: Second Place Winner, “Flamingos Take Off” by Hao J.Nature: People’s Choice Winner, “Formation” by Niklas Weber.People: People’s Choice, “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” by Daniel Cheung.Cities: First Place Winner, “Another Rainy Day in Nagasaki” by Hiro Kurashina.